Nearly two years ago, the NBC Sports Group was stung when Fox snared the rights to the United States Open. But on Monday, NBC was expected to announce that it had found another major tournament to televise — the British Open — for 12 years starting in 2017.
NBC and Golf Channel will replace ESPN, which is paying a reported $25 million annually under an eight-year contract. While NBC did not divulge its fees, Mark Lazarus, head of the NBC Sports Group, said the deal called for a “fairly large increase.”
“This is an affirmation of the way the golf industry looks at us and Golf Channel as an important part of the golf media world,” Lazarus said.